New Delhi: India and United States on Friday, July 26 signed the Cultural Property Agreement on the sidelines of the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee that provides for repatriation of India’s priceless heritage and deepening its cultural ties.
During this historic event, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti praised the Indian culture and remarked, 'To know Indian culture is to know human culture'. Every American and every global citizen deserves to know, see and experience the culture that we celebrate here today, Garcetti said asserted.
This event marks the culmination of nearly two years of diligent work by experts from both countries and fulfills President Biden’s and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to enhance cooperation to protect cultural heritage highlighted in the joint statement issued after their meeting in June 2023.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal tweeted on X, "A historic day for India's cultural heritage! Today, on the sidelines of the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee #46WHC, India & USA signed the Cultural Property Agreement. The Agreement provides for the repatriation of our priceless heritage, deepening our cultural ties."
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal tweets, " a historic day for india's cultural heritage! today, on the sidelines of the 46th session of the world heritage committee #46WHC, India & USA signed the Cultural Property Agreement. The Agreement provides for the repatriation of our… pic.twitter.com/NWMnzR0MBq
— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2024
The US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, working with the US Embassy in India, worked in partnership with the Government of India’s Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India to bring this cultural property agreement to fruition.
What is the cultural property agreement? Cultural property agreements prevent the illegal trade of cultural property and helps simplify the process by which looted and stolen antiquities may be returned to their country of origin. The US has been unwavering in its commitment to protect and preserve cultural heritage worldwide and to restrict trafficking in cultural property.
At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Garcetti said, “This cultural property agreement is about two things. First and foremost, it’s about justice – returning to India and to Indians, what is rightfully theirs. Secondly, it’s about connecting India with the world. Every American and every global citizen deserves to know, see, and experience the culture that we celebrate here today. To know Indian culture is to know human culture.”
He also congratulated the Government of India for being a gracious host of UNESCO’s 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, noting that by hosting this important meeting, India demonstrates its commitment to not only protecting its own cultural property, but to also assisting other countries in doing the same.
With this agreement, India joins the ranks of 29 existing US bilateral cultural property agreement partners. The US-India Cultural Property Agreement was negotiated by the State Department under the US law implementing the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
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